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Monday, May 11, 2015

Spotlight and Character Interview with Iris Blobel

Today, I'm interviewing Iris Blobel's hero in her book Love Will Find You. Iris is a contemporary romance writer from down under. Her new sports romance is out plus her it's now going for free on Amazon. Don't miss out. Links to follow.

Love Will Find You

By Iris
Blobel

Blurb:

Can
their new love survive the scrutiny of the public eye?

After his father’s heart attack,
Australian Football League player Tyson Gaspaldi takes his parents on holiday
to a small place at the New South Wales coast.

One morning, following a surfing session, he comes across a
crying woman on the beach. Everything about her intrigues him, and he can’t
walk away. She’s not only sexy and humble, but, as he soon finds out,
vulnerable as well.

It’s only been a few months since
Katie Cassidy lost her sister in a car accident.

Still
overwhelmed by the loss, a chance encounter on the beach with an attractive
stranger awakens unexpected emotions inside her. She’s instantly drawn to his
caring nature, but also his looks.

However,
Tyson’s past quickly catches up with them, causing Katie’s childhood demons to
return, and the road to romance becomes anything but smooth.

Author Bio:

Iris
Blobel was born and raised in Germany and only immigrated to Australia in the
late 1990s. Having had the travel bug most of her life, Iris spent quite some
time living in Scotland, London, as well as Canada where she met her husband.
Her love for putting her stories onto paper only emerged a few years back, but
now her laptop is a constant companion. Iris resides west of Melbourne with her
husband and her beautiful two daughters as well as their dog. Next to her job
at a private school, she also presents a German Program at the local Community
Radio.

Prologue

Tyson
held the Brownlow Medal in his hand, but celebrating was the last thing on his
mind. His fake smile was as much a lie as the last message he’d sent to Katie
the day before. As a result, it was his mother who sat in the crowd amongst his
teammates, his friends, the footy world, reporters, and whoever else was
important—and not Katie. His gaze wandered around the ballroom, with all the
round tables neatly positioned in nice rows. Each table was beautifully set
with dinnerware, menus, and a floral arrangement. The TV screens on either side
of him showed a close-up of the stage, and as he tried to protect his eyes
against the bright lights, he watched them all, making toasts, their glasses
filled with the best champagne, applauding his achievement.

The
crowd settled and awaited a speech. His speech. Nervousness crept up in him as
he stared into the audience. His throat burned as the acid in his stomach
churned.

The
Brownlow Medal was awarded to the best and fairest football player of the
season, yet he didn’t think there was anything fair about the way he’d treated his girl.

Tyson
Gaspaldi took a deep breath, unfolded his little note, and cleared his throat.
The first word he focused on was her name, Katie. He blinked to refocus and
thanked his mother as well as his family. It came effortlessly once he was past
the initial hurdle and in only a few minutes he finished, held up his medal,
and walked behind the stage.

Why
had he said the things he had? Why didn’t he just answer her question?

A
short time later, Tyson joined his friends and his mother at the table again.

“Congratulations,
darling.” His mother took his face into her hands and gave Ty a kiss on his
cheek. Only a few years ago, he would have been embarrassed by such open
emotions in front of a crowd, but since his father’s death earlier in the year,
he welcomed every sign of affection by his mother.

“Thanks,
Mum.”

“Dad
would be so proud of you.” Caroline Gaspaldi took a step back and gazed at him.
Pride radiated from her eyes. “Look at you. You should wear a suit more often.”

His
friends around the table gave him a quick clap on the shoulder and
congratulated him before sitting down to proceed with the evening. Ty noticed
his phone buzzing and with a flick of his finger, he scrolled down his
messages. He stopped at Katie’s message from earlier in the day.

I don’t believe u!

With
a heavy sigh, he switched off the screen, ignoring all the other new messages
and the phone into his pocket. He took the beer in front of him and tried to
concentrate on what the guy on stage was saying. Out of the corner of his eye,
he spotted a woman at the other table. She looked incredible in her shimmering
silver evening gown. The décolleté of her dress revealed tanned skin upon which
a delicate necklace hung. Her curly brown hair was pinned up in a ponytail
which made her look very sexy. When she smiled at him, he winked at her in
return.

“What
are you doing, Ty?” his mother whispered into his ear.

Character Interview:

~~ Tyson Gaspaldi ~~

What’s your favourite part of the day? Morning, afternoon or night?

Morning. I love to run along the beach when the sun just comes up over
the horizon.

If you had to take anyone with you on a long journey away from home, who
would it be?

My Katie girl.

What is your motto in life?

“Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well
preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting
“Holy shit, what a ride!”

Name one of your weaknesses that you’d like to work on.

Jumping to conclusions.

What question would you like to ask your creator?

Mate, honestly, why did she have to give me such a vindictive
ex-girlfriend? I thought I’d deserve better.

If you could do anything over again in the book, what would it be?

If I could turn back time, I would answer Katie’s question without
wondering about her reasoning. I’d fight more for her to stay. But you can’t
turn back time, and you learn from your mistakes. I certainly have.

If you were able to invent something totally new for your world, what
would it be, and why do you think it’s needed?

I like sports. I leave all these fancy inventions to other people.
There’s some great stuff out there and some really, really intelligent people,
so I’m sure we’ll see many more great inventions over the next decade.

Give a memory from childhood.

I loved going to the beach with my family and my buddies. Going surfing,
hanging out with the girls, great ice cream. Yeah, that was great.

Is there anything you’ve always secretly wished for but isn’t mentioned
in the book?

For my football club to win the finals. Oh man, that would’ve been great.
But hey, I got the medal for the best and fairest player. You can’t have
everything, right?

If you could commission a painting from a famous artist, what would it
be of?

Van Gogh’s Irises

What’s your most embarrassing moment?

Man I tell ya, when Scottie did that tackle, grabbed my shorts, and
ripped them near off me — leaving me half naked on the field. Yup, that was
embarrassing. Of course, there are a few others, but, hey, some things just
need to stay private. *winks*

Are you similar to how you were as a child or have you changed
significantly? If you’ve changed, what changed you?

Hahaha … of course I’ve changed. You mean as in my character? Nah, mate,
I reckon, I’m more or less the same. I’ve probably got more patience than when
I was a child.

What is the most sacrificial thing you’ve done for someone else?

Oh wow, this is deep and meaningful. Sacrificial thing. I couldn’t tell
you. Honestly, I wouldn’t know. I like helping people, it’s in my nature, it’s
how I’ve been raised, but sacrificial? Let me think about that.

What do you prefer? Rock, classical, jazz, country or other?

Rock, although, Katie’s a real party pooper when it comes to having loud
music at home… She likes the soft pop … *gives an exaggerated shiver*